Martin Backs Labour’s Child Benefit Boost

Labour's Child Benefit boost would help more than 13,000 children in Inverclyde

Scottish Labour’s plan to increase child benefit by £260 a year would help more than 13,000 children in Inverclyde.

According to the most recent figures, 13,850 children in Inverclyde qualify for child benefit, making up over 8,500 families. Scottish Labour has been campaigning for an increase of £5 a week in child benefit in order to lift thousands of children across Scotland out of poverty.

Previous research from the Give Me 5 campaign suggested that Scottish Labour’s planned top up could lift as many of 30,000 children out of poverty across Scotland.

Martin McCluskey, Labour’s Candidate for Inverclyde, said:

“Families across Inverclyde are struggling to keep up with the cost of living as their wages fail to meet the rising cost of food and fuel. That’s driving more and more children into poverty – it’s appalling that our area has so many children living below the poverty line.

“Labour’s plan to increase child benefit by £260 per year will help more than 13,850 in children in Inverclyde.

“Despite gaining more and more powers, Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP government has not done nearly enough to tackle poverty and inequality in our communities. Instead of ending Tory austerity they have doubled-down on it.

“Only a Scottish Labour government will use Holyrood’s powers to fight poverty in Inverclyde so our country works for the many, not the few.”